Seven-card poker game with pot game feature

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a wagering game is disclosed. The method includes the step of providing a standard deck of playing cards. Each participating player makes a mandatory Ante wager and a mandatory Blind wager to participate in the game. A dealer deals a plurality of at least three cards to each individual player. The dealer deals at least one common card to a common card area on the table, wherein the at least one common card is dealt face down. Each player views at least a portion of the at least three cards and either checks or makes a Play wager that is a first multiple of the Ante wager. The dealer reveals at least one common card, and each player considers the at least one common card and the viewed at least three cards and decides to either fold or making a Play wager that is a second multiple of the ante wager. The second multiple is smaller than the first multiple. The dealer or each player reveals an additional card, wherein the players make a best poker hand from all player cards, all common cards and the additional card. The Play wager is resolved according to a first pay table. The Ante wager is resolved according to a second pay table; and the Blind wager is resolved according to a third pay table.

RELATED APPLICATIONS DATA

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/156,352, filed Jun. 17, 2005. This application is also a Continuation-in-part of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/897,857, filed Aug. 31, 2007, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/938,483, filed Sep. 10, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,243.

This application incorporates by reference in their entirety the following patent specifications that may be considered related by the Office:

Pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/108,159, filed Apr. 15, 2005, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/938,483, filed Sep. 10, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,243, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/864,051, filed Jun. 8, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,300, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/152,325, filed May 20, 2002, now abandoned, pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/589,701, filed Oct. 30, 2006, pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/897,857, filed Aug. 31, 2007 and pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/156,352, filed Jun. 17, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wagering games, particularly wagering games using playing cards or images of playing cards, and wagering games played on casino tables, video machines, multi-player platforms or the internet.

2. Background of the Art

Among the successful casino card games are Let It Ride® Bonus poker, Three Card Poker® game and Caribbean Stud® poker. These games have each achieved a high level of commercial success with different formats and attributes. Other games such as Mississippi Stud™ poker, Crazy 4 Poker® game and Four Card Poker® games have also found success.

Let It Ride® poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081. The Bonus version of the game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,424. In this game, the player makes a wager in three parts. Three cards are dealt to each player (there may be only a single player), and two common cards are dealt face-down in front of the dealer. The player examines his/her three cards, evaluates the likelihood of a ranked hand (e.g., at least a pair of tens) being achieved with those three cards and the as yet unseen common cards. The player, based on judgment of that likelihood, may elect to withdraw the first of the three-part wager or keep the wager at risk. Upon the player making that decision, and withdrawing or allowing the first wager to remain at risk, a first of the common cards is turned face-up. The player then can make another decision with regard to the play of the hand and whether there is a changed potential for a ranked hand. A second portion of the three-part wager is then withdrawn or allowed to remain at risk. After this decision, the last common card is exposed, and the rank of each player's hand, including the common cards, is evaluated. Payments are made to each player based on only the rank of hand achieved and the number of wagers left on the table from the original three-part wager. As noted, at least one wager must remain, as only two parts can have been withdrawn. Wagers are paid off at rates (or odds), for example, of 1:1 for pairs of at least 10's, 2:1 for two pairs, 3:1 for three-of-a-kind, 5:1 for straights, 7:1 for flushes, 12:1 for full houses, 50:1 for four-of-a-kind, 250:1 for straight flushes, and 1000:1 for royal flushes. The specific payout odds can be varied and often casinos choose payout tables that help them achieve a desired theoretical hold percentage. Side bonus wagers may also be placed in which ranked hands over three-of-a-kind receive fixed, such as $25,000 for a royal flush. The bonus payouts and hand combinations are typically displayed on a payout table on the table surface. The winning bonus combinations are typically a higher-ranking subset of the winning base game outcomes.

The Three Card Poker® game (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774) deals three cards to each player and three cards to the dealer, all face-down. Initially one or two optional wagers may be made by the player. One such wager is for the “Pair Plus” bonus bet, a bet on achieving a winning combination included in a payout table. Another wager is the game Ante on which the player competes against the dealer. The Pair Plus bet in one example of the invention is a wager that the three card hand will have a rank of at least one pair or more. The hand is paid off in multiples of the bet depending upon the rank of the hand, with up to 40:1 or more paid out for three-of-a-kind. In the Ante wager, if the player wants to compete against the dealer's hand (after viewing the rank of the player's hand), an additional Play wager equal to the Ante must be placed by the player. The game rules dictate that the amount of the Play Bet is 2× the amount of the Ante. The dealer's hand is then exposed. If the dealer does not have a hand of at least a certain qualifying rank (e.g., at least Queen high), the dealer's hand is not in play. If the player has not made the additional wager, the Ante is collected by the dealer at some point in the play of the game. If the player has made the additional wager, the Ante is paid off to the player if the dealer's hand is not as high a rank as the player's hand. If the dealer's hand has qualified, and the dealer's hand is higher than the player's hand, then the Ante and the additional wager are collected by the house. If the dealer's hand qualifies (e.g., at least Queen high) and is lower than the player's hand rank, both the Ante and additional wager are paid off, with multiples payable to the Ante wager for certain high ranking hands (e.g., straights, flushes, straight flushes, three-of-a-kind, etc.). The ranking of the various poker hands is different in the three card game than in five card poker games.

In Caribbean Stud® poker, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553, a player makes an initial Ante wager, and five cards are dealt to each player and to a dealer. Players play against a dealer hand. The dealer exposes one of the five cards in the dealer hand to influence the player. The player decides if the dealt player hand is of sufficient rank to compete against the dealer's hand. The player may fold the player's hand at that time, or continue the game by placing an additional wager (referred to as the “Bet”) that is usually required to be twice the value of the Ante. The dealer's hand qualifies for active play against the Bet only with a rank of Ace-King or higher. If the dealer qualifies, the rank of the players' hands is compared with the rank of the dealer's hand. Players with hands of higher rank than the dealer's hand win both the Ante and the Bet. Players with hands of lower rank than the dealer's hand lose both the Ante and the Bet. If an initial side bet (often referred to as the Jackpot side bet) has been made by the player, ranked hands of particularly high values (e.g., at least a Flush) are paid absolute bonus amounts or may be paid out of a progressive jackpot. This bonus side bet is paid whether or not the player's hand rank exceeds the rank of the dealer's hand.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,137; 5,167,413; 5,242,163; 5,251,897; 5,322,295; 5,411,257; 5,437,451; 5,636,842; and 5,820,460 (Fulton) describe games and apparatus in which a player may increase an initial wager after partial viewing of the players hand in a video gaming apparatus or casino table card game.

“Flop Poker” from National Table Games, “Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em®” from Shuffle Master, Inc. and “Trips” from Digideal Corporation are other casino table card games to be considered in the background of this technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A card game referred to as “On The Draw™ Seven Card Poker” (hereinafter, “OTD7”) is played as a game against a pay table with an optional “pot” bet based on attaining at least a minimal ranked poker hand. The player places at least an Ante wager and a Blind wager. The “pot” wager is optional. The player receives a partial hand that is preferably completed by community cards. After review of the partial hands, each player will have an opportunity to 1) check (and remain in the game without making an additional wager) or 2) place a game or “play” wager before receiving another card for the player's hand (e.g., where there is a community card revealed to all players). At least some or all game wagers may be an amount within a range of multiples of the player (such as 1×, 2×, 3×, 4× or 5× the amount of the Ante wager).

After a first community card is revealed to all players, each player may again elect to check (remaining in the game) or make an additional Play wager (in an available range of multiples of the Ante, which with the play of each hand may be selected by each player separately). After a second community card is revealed to all players, each player may now fold (exiting in the game) or make an additional Play wager (preferably as a fixed multiple of the Ante wager although possibly in an available range of multiples of the Ante, which with the play of each hand may be selected by each player separately). The range of wagers may remain the same or vary with the number of dealt cards or community cards revealed to the players.

A last player card or third community card is disclosed to all players remaining in the game after making the Play wager after the second community card. All wagers are resolved after looking at the entirety of cards in each player's hand, including the community cards. Preferably a total of seven cards are provided to each player hand (including community cards) and a best 5-card poker hand is used to resolve the wagers against the pay table and in any “pot” event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary table layout for a game according to one embodiment of the present teachings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

There are at least some generic elements and combinations of elements of play within the scope of the game and technology disclosed. An exemplary card game is played only against a pay table. In other forms of the invention, additional bets against a dealer hand are played simultaneously with the game against a pay table, as described below. The pay table may be against only a final hand (e.g., best 5-card hand out of 5, 6 or 7 cards), or may be against intermediate hands as well as the final hand (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,988,643; 6,206,780; 6,705,943; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,181, filed Mar. 22, 2001; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/602,015, filed Jun. 23, 2003; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/646,670, filed Aug. 22, 2003). The content of each of the above specifications is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In addition, there is an optional wager that, if made, must be made at the time of the first Ante wager. This optional wager is on a “pot” bet game and can only be made if the player has made the first Ante wager. In the “pot” bet element of the game, herein referred to as the Cincinnati Pot or Cincy Pot™, all money remaining in the pot is awarded to any player who has made the optional Cincy Pot wager, has an active base game wager, has a hand rank that is a specifically defined rank or higher and that holds a highest ranking hand of all participating players. For example, when any best-of-five-cards hand by a player that has made the Cincy Pot wager is at least a rank of a flush (e.g., a flush, full house, four-of-a-kind, or straight flush), that player wins the Pot, all wager funds added to the pot by players optional wagers. The house may or may not take a portion of the pot. The pot element of the game may also be designed so that only a specific rank of hand, such as a Full House or a Full House with at least trip 10's in the Full House will win the pot. In other words, only specific qualifying hands that are also a highest ranking hand of all participating players at the table wins the pot. For example, in the last described instance, a Full House with three 7's and two Aces would not win the pot, a straight flush would not win the pot, but a Full House with three jacks and two of a kind would win the pot (assuming the hand is also high hand). It may also be required that to win the pot a player must have at least two winning hands between the first pot contribution and the payout (e.g., at least two hands of straight or higher, not necessarily consecutively) to win the pot. In one example of the invention, a marker or electronic alert would be provided to the player when a first qualifying ranked hand is attained. Some of these procedures promote extended play for players at a table, which is advantageous to the casino.

One way of describing a set of available games from within the scope of this disclosure is as a method of playing a casino table poker card game against a pay table while enabling a pot wager event. Steps of the games could include:

-   -   a) a player placing a first Ante wager and a Blind wager to play         the poker card game against a pay table;     -   b) the player receiving an initial partial player hand of         physical playing cards or a virtual set of playing cards on a         video screen which the player views;     -   c) the player making an election to fold, stay in the game by         checking with no additional wager or placing an additional wager         before seeing any additional cards used to complete the initial         partial player hand;     -   d) the player viewing at least one first additional card to only         partially complete the initial partial player hand; and     -   e) any player remaining in the poker card game after step d)         viewing at least one second additional card;         wherein, any player can enter a pot wager game concurrent with         the poker card game by making a predefined pot wager, with the         pot wager going directly into a pot which is won by a player         attaining a poker hand rank of at least a minimum rank, and the         highest ranking hand of participating players the pot rolling         over from round-of-play to round-of-play without any value         withdrawn until the pot is won.

After a first number of players have made pot wagers at a gaming table, any new player may enter the pot wager game by making at least the predetermined pot wager. In a first embodiment, after making the initial predetermined pot wager, a player remains in competition for the pot only as long as that player makes additional contributions to the pot. In a second embodiment, after making the initial predetermined pot wager, a player remains in competition for the pot as long as that player remains at the table, without having to make additional contributions to the pot.

In one embodiment, the player must make an Ante wager in the game to qualify to make the pot bet. The initial set of cards may be 3-cards of 4-cards. Preferably the initial set of cards is 4-cards plus one additional “7^(th) Street” card that the player cannot view until later in the game, and there are two community cards provided to the players one-at-a-time, a first card in step d), and a second card in step e). After the second community card is revealed, the player must make a Play bet or fold, if the player previously checked twice. If the player previously made a Play wager, he or she may check. The 7^(th) Street card of each player hand is then revealed, and the player makes a best five out of seven card hand, using the community cards, if advantageous. The player could use his/her own cards, or one or both of the community cards.

In other embodiments, the 7^(th) Street card can also be a community card. Other numbers of community cards could also be used, such as 3 or 4 community cards.

At the conclusion of hand resolution, all wagers are resolved.

Before revealing the first community card, each player may be required to select a specific action selected from the group consisting of check, fold, or make a first Play wager that can be made according to the rules of the game.

The preferred first Play wager is a single predefined multiple of the Ante wager, e.g., exactly 3× the Ante. Other single values for the Play wager (e.g., one of 4× or 5×) may be used, or a range of player-selectable values, e.g., 1×-5×, or better, 3×-5×, may be used as the required first Play wager. In one format of play of the underlying game, after receiving the first community card (the 5^(th) Street card), each player remaining in the poker game must elect to check, fold or make a second Play wager having a single predefined multiple of the Ante wager, the single predefined multiple of the second Play wager being less than the single predefined wager of the first Play wager. For example, if the required first Play wager was 3×, then the second required amount for the second Play wager would be 2× or another value less than 3× the Ante. If a range is provided for the first Play wager and the second Play wager, e.g., 3×-5× for the first Play wager, the range or specific value for the second Play wager should be lower than for the first Play wager, in this case, the range may be 1×-2×, even 1×-3×, or limited to a specific multiple, either 1× or 2× the Ante. The multiple is preferably fixed but may be player-selectable in other embodiments.

In another preferred format of game play, after receiving the second community card (the 6^(th) Street card), each player remaining in the poker card game must elect to check, fold or make a third Play wager having a single predefined multiple of the Ante wager, the single predefined multiple of the third Play wager being less than the single predefined wager of the second Play wager, such as 1× the Ante, 2× the Ante or a range of 1×-2× the Ante.

A convenient table layout 2 for use on a casino table with physical playing cards is shown in FIG. 1. The table layout 2 is shown with an example of 6 player positions 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 with each player position being identical and having a set of wager positions 16 comprising at least an Ante wager position 18, a Blind wager position 20 and Play Bet wager position 22 and a “pot” bet position 26. The pot may be kept on the table in community pot position 24. When the player makes a pot bet, he/she places the wager in area 26 and the dealer moves the bet to area 24 and replaces the wager with a marker that is positioned in area 26. Each player position has at least a card receiving area 28 and the dealer position 30 has a community card receiving area 32. Rules of the game and payout tables are shown as optional area 34 in the dealer area 30 and in area 36 in the player areas 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14.

If played in an electronic of partially electronic format (e.g., with physical playing cards and electronic wagering), the table or electronic interaction among players and the house would require the use of essentially standard electronic interfaces and electronic gaming tables and networks, having player input/output interfaces, video screens, and combinations of processors, flash memory, RAM, EPROM, storage, software, Random Number Generation, protocols among positions, security functions and the like, as needed to properly execute play of the game on the existing formats.

In the play of the present games, the players placing at least an Ante wager and a Blind wager (they may be required to be of equal amounts and/or must each independently equal or exceed a minimum wager), the Ante wager is played against a payable (e.g., bonus, pot wager and/or jackpot wagers may be separately placed, but need not be compulsory) and players receive a partial hand. By a partial hand is meant that in the play of the game, additional cards are available or necessary to complete a final hand in the game. The partial hand is preferably completed with community cards (but in alternate embodiments may be completed by providing additional cards dealt directly to a hand, randomly generated virtual cards, additional bonus cards or a combination of cards dealt directly to a hand and at least one community card or wild card). Community cards are cards dealt and displayed on the table which are used by all players in the construction of intermediate and final hands.

A description of a game referred to as “On The Draw™ Poker” is played as a game against a house and not a dealer hand. Game play features a wager against a pay table, an optional “pot” bet based on attaining at least a minimal ranked poker hand. The player places mandatory wagers of at least an Ante wager and a Blind wager. The Ante and Blind wagers pay 1:1 odds for winning game outcomes. The Ante and Blind wagers win when the player holds a qualifying hand, such as two pair or better.

The players have multiple opportunities to make Play wagers, according to the invention. The Play wagers may be multiples of the Ante, and are preferably larger multiples when the player has less hand information, and smaller multiples when the player has more information.

Preferably, the player may make only one Play wager. For Example, when the dealer deals each player 5 cards each, consisting of an initial four card hand and a 7^(th) Street card that is left face-down on the table until later in play, and the dealer deals two community cards face-down, the player may make a Play wager after considering the initial 4 cards, after the 1^(st) community card is revealed, and after the 2^(nd) community card is revealed. Once the Play wager is made, the player must check to stay in the game. The player can always fold instead of making a Play wager, but must stay in the game once a Play wager is made.

According to an example of the invention, the Play wager is paid odds according to a posted payout schedule, using well-known 5-card poker rankings as the basis for establishing winning hands. An example of a suitable Pay table is:

Royal Flush 100:1  Straight Flush 20:1  4 of a kind 7:1 Full House 4:1 Flush 3:1 Straight 2:1 3 of a kind 3:2 2 Pair 1:1

The “pot” wager is an optional event. The pot bet wager must be made by a player at the beginning of a hand and the player must have made the required Ante and Blind wagers to be eligible to win the pot. Each pot bet wager funds the pot. The house may initially fund the pot at a minimum amount (e.g., $25.00) and use initial pot bets to refund the seeding of the pot or not. For example, if the casino seeds the pot at $25.00, either the first $25.00 in pot bets is withdrawn by the casino to refund the seed money or one half of the next $50.00 wagered on pot bets is retained by the house, or the like. In this manner, a pot is always available to entice players to wager on the pot bet. At the end of the round of play of a game, bets are resolved and hands evaluated to see if the pot event was won. If no player holds a qualifying hand, the pot event is not won, and all monies in the pot roll over to the next hand. Those players who make pot wagers see the pot grow and are enticed into playing the game again. In one embodiment, it is mandatory that to place a pot bet at least the Ante wager, preferably the Ante wager and the mandatory Blind wager must also be made. As the casino theoretically makes no money off the pot event, there must be activity at the table (the Ante and Blind wagers) where the house will make a return.

According to the invention, the pot is established by a plurality of players making an initial contribution. A marker is placed in wager area 26 by the dealer to keep track of the players who qualify to contribute to the pot if the pot is not won. Only players who contribute to the pot can continue to attempt to win the pot if the pot is not won at the end of a round and accumulates.

In other embodiments, players may make pot wagers at any time, even for example when the size of the pot has grown.

When a player holds a qualifying hand of a flush or higher, and that hand is the highest ranking hand of the round, the player wins the pot. The house may seed the pot with a nominal amount such as $20.00 to encourage participation, or may not fund the pot.

In the play of the actual game, the player receives a partial hand that is preferably completed by community cards. Preferably the partial hand is four cards, two community cards are subsequently provided and then one last player card to complete a seven card holding by each player, with a best-of-five poker hand made by each player. The dealing of exactly five cards and allowing players to initially view only four cards as the partial hand to each player is significant in the design of the game. By dealing a larger number of cards to the player initially (as compared to conventional Texas Hold 'Em games, where only two cards are dealt to each player as initial hands), the player is felt to have greater insight into the value of the final seven cards (immediately seeing 4/7 cards in the present game versus only 2/7 cards in Texas Hold 'Em poker). Additionally, the player feels confident that he will win against the pay table (e.g., four cards in suit, or four to an open-ended straight) or may even be certain that the hand has won against the pay table (e.g., two pair, three of a kind, four-of-a-kind). After review of the partial hands, each player will have an opportunity to 1) check or 2) place a game or “play” wager before receiving another card for the player's hand (e.g., where there is a community card revealed to all players). In other embodiments, the player can fold. At least some or all game wagers may be an amount within a range of multiples of the player (such as 1×, 2×, 3×, 4× or 5× the amount of the Ante wager). The first Play wager may be required to be a fixed multiple of the Ante wager (e.g., it must be exactly one of only 1×, 2× or preferably 3× or more of the Ante) or alternatively, it must be a Play wager selected by the player from the group consisting of a range of multiples of the Ante wager (e.g., the player may elect without limit, one Play wager from the range of, for example, 1×, 2× and X, or 1×-4×, or 2×-5×, etc.).

After a first community card (e.g., 5^(th) street) is revealed to all players, each player may again elect to check (remaining in the game) or make an additional Play wager (in an available range of multiples of the Ante, which with the play of each hand may be selected by each player separately) or again place a wager of a fixed multiple of the Ante amount, such as exactly only 1× or exactly only 2× or exactly only 3× the Ante amount. Preferably, the multiple is smaller (e.g., 2×) than the multiple of the first Play wager opportunity. The player can only make a Play wager if he/she checked at the first opportunity for making a Play wager.

A second community card (e.g., 6^(th) street) is then revealed to all players. Each player may now fold (exiting in the game) or make an additional Play wager (preferably as a fixed multiple of the Ante wager although possibly in an available range of multiples of the Ante, which with the play of each hand may be selected by each player separately). The range of wagers may remain the same or vary with the number of dealt cards or community cards revealed to the players. In one embodiment, the multiple must be smaller than the multiple of the previous Play wager opportunity, and the player may only make a Play wager if the player previously checked (and not made a Play wager) prior to this third Play wager opportunity.

A third player card (the final card, 7^(th) street) is disclosed to all players remaining in the game after making the Play wager after the second community card. In an example of the invention, no further wagers may be made after all seven cards have been revealed to the players. Alternatively, a single additional wager equal to the Ante wager may be allowed, although the last wager after seeing all seven cards may be limited to a 1:1 (or against a different lower value payable) for all hand ranks. This will at least give the player the opportunity at the end to wager on a sure thing, without enabling large payouts from the casino. All wagers are resolved after looking at the entirety of cards in each player's hand, including the community cards. Preferably a total of seven cards are provided to each player hand (including community cards) and a best 5-card poker hand is used to resolve the wager and the pot event.

After placement of an Ante wager and the Blind wager (usually the two wagers are mandatory and must be equal for any play at the table) and the placement of any optional wagers (e.g., the pot wager and any progressive wager, bad beat wager, Super Jackpot wager, etc.), each player gets to review only their initial partial hands (preferably exactly four cards, although three cards are better than the two cards in traditional Texas Hold 'Em, from a players standpoint), and then the first set of community cards. The initial partial hand could be two, three or five cards and the community cards may be delivered in groups with similar wagering. Initial partial hands could also be dealt in 2 or more groups, such as 2-2 card groups. Each player will have an opportunity to place a first game or “play” wager after receiving a first group but before receiving another group of cards (whether dealt directly to the player, assigned as a community card revealed to all players or assigned otherwise such as by random display of a virtual card). This first Play wager after review of only the partial hands may allow the player specific options or a range of options on the wager. For example, the possible types of wagering events at each stage of the game may be represented as follows in the Table, in which Range of Wagers and Fixed wagers are optional events and may be or may not be simultaneously available:

Game Time Frame Range of Wagers Fixed wagers Start of At least minimum Ante Pot entry, progressive Game and mandatory Blind wager, Super Bonus, bad wager beat, envy wager, etc. Player has Check or Play wager = Check or only one of 1×, initial hand 1×-5× Ante 2×, 3× (preferred), 4× or 5× available. After 5^(th) Check or Play wager = Check or only one of 1×, Street 1×-3× Ante (e.g., 2×, 3×. (e.g., lower lower maximum than maximum than Play Play wager) wager, e.g., exactly 2×, only) After 6^(th) Fold or Play wager = Fold or 1× or 2×, exactly Street 1×-2× (e.g., lower (e.g., lower maximum than maximum than 5^(th) 5^(th) Street wager) Street wager) After 7^(th) No wagers Exactly 1× at less than Street maximum odds (e.g., fixed 1:1 odds)

At least some or all Play wagers (including the first game wager) may be an amount within a range of multiples that may be chosen from the range by the player (such as within a range of 1×, 2×, 3×, 4× or 5× or higher times or fractional times the amount of the Ante wager). It may be one aspect of the game that each wager, from the first Play wager to the last available wager may be specifically limited in amount, rather than allowing a range of amounts, even though a check is possible. For example, there may be a fixed set of allowable wagers as follows:

Game Time Frame Range of Wagers Start of Game At least minimum Ante and mandatory Blind wager Player has initial hand Play wager, Check or 1×-5× Ante After 5^(th) Street Check or 1×-3× Ante (e.g., lower maximum than Play wager) After 6^(th) Street Fold or 1×-2× (e.g., lower maximum than 5^(th) Street wager) After 7^(th) Street No wagers

It is possible to allow the player to pass (check), that is making no wager and yet remain in the game, but this is less preferred in certain steps. The range of wagers may remain the same or vary with the number of dealt cards or community card revealed to the players. For example, the first Play wager may be any of 1×-5×, or only 1×-2×, and a second Play wager may be limited to the size of the first Play wager options, or may again be 1×-3×, only 1×-2×, or only 1× or 2× the amount of the Ante according to the house rules. The original Ante wager and the relative size of a mandatory Blind wager will be determined by casino minimums at the table and relative amount according to house rules. For example, at a table with a minimum $10.00 wager, the Ante must be at least $10.00 and the Blind wager may have to be exactly the same amount as the Ante wager.

One series of play elements in the game described herein could be practiced as follows. A method of playing a casino table card game wherein a Play wager is made against a pay table along with an optional pot game comprises a player placing a first Ante wager (and a mandatory Blind bet) to play the card game against a pay table. The Ante and Blind wagers pay 1:1 odds when the player hand qualifies. The minimum qualifying hand to win the Ante is two pair or better. Otherwise, the player loses. The minimum qualifying hand to win the Blind wager is three of a kind. However, if the player holds two pair or better, the Blind bet is not automatically lost. Instead, the bet pushes.

The player elects to play or not to play in the pot game with a Pot wager, that wager being added to the pot (or as explained elsewhere, refunding seed money provided by the casino up to a limit or not). In one example of the game, 5-card poker rankings are used as the basis of constructing the pay table with seven playing cards being available to any player that remains in the game through three wagering events after receiving an initial partial hand of cards. The player receives an initial partial player hand of cards which the player views. Preferably each player's separate initial hand of cards is exactly 3-cards or exactly 4-cards. The dealer may deal one or more additional cards, such as a 7^(th) Street card that is not revealed to the player initially but is dealt to the player position for later use. Ordinarily the initial partial hand of cards comprises enough cards to give the player at least a feeling or some basis for evaluating the potential quality of the final player hand. This will usually require the player to view at least 3 cards and no more than 4 cards for a best 5-card game. The player, after executing his decision with the initial cards (to check or make a Play wager), then views at least one first additional card from a set of additional cards to only partially complete the initial partial player hand, forming a second partial player hand. The additional cards may be community cards or additional player cards. In the case where 3 cards are provided as the initial hand, the first set of community cards provided to complete the hand might be 1 card or 2 cards. In the case where 4 cards are provided as the initial hand, the first set of community cards provided to complete the hand might be 1 card or 2 cards, but a single card is preferred.

The player may check or make an additional Play wager before seeing the first additional card. The amount of the Play wager relative to the amount of the Ante wager may be selected by the player from a preferred range of amounts comprising 1×, 2× and 3×-5× the Ante wager (effectively allowing the player to wager 0×, 1×, 2×, 3×, 4× or 5×, for example). The Play wager may also be specific and require an exact multiple of the Ante wager, such as exactly 3×, 4× or exactly 5× (without limiting the specific amount by these examples). The method would then allow viewing the at least one first additional card(s) as viewing a first additional or preferably a first community card. After checking or placing the additional wager and viewing the first community card, the player makes a second election to check (stay with no additional wager) or place a second additional Play wager before seeing any second additional card used to complete or partially complete the second initial partial player hand. The second additional card is preferably a community card. The second additional wager is again preferably selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1×, 2× and 3× the Ante wager, although as indicated above, different ranges or limits may be imposed based upon other events or other rules, but in some embodiments, is an optional range available to the player. The second Play wager is preferably a specific multiple of the Ante, and preferably this multiple is less than that for the first Play wager, limiting risk to the house. Preferably this Play wager can only be made if the player checked on previous opportunities to make a Play wager. Again, it is preferred that viewing the at least one second additional card(s) comprises viewing a community card. The player has an option to fold or make a Play wager that is a multiple of the Ante and is preferably a lower multiple than previously available Play wager multiples. The third additional wager is again selected by the player from a range of amounts, for example, comprising 1×, 2× and 3× the Ante wager. The player only makes the third Play wager if he/she previously checked at the first and second Play bet opportunities.

In the play of the game, cards may be dealt in varying numbers of cards at each stage to create varying results. For example, consider the following different variations:

Game Stage Number of Cards Dealt I Number of Cards Dealt II Partial Hand 4 3 First Community 1 1 or 2 card(s) Second Community 1 2 or 1, respectively card(s) Final card(s) 1 1

By varying the number of cards at various stages, the game can have different effects on the wagering and interest level for players. In Number of Cards Dealt II, it can be seen that although the player initially gets fewer cards, in the delivery of the first Community card(s), the player may get two cards, bringing the partial hand in both Dealt Cards I and Dealt Card II to five at the third wagering event. A player may thus feel he is getting more information (two cards) in the second stage, even though his total information (five cards) is the same as in Dealt Cards I. The size of the wagers at each stage may remain the same as described above.

The preferred game is played with 4 initial cards in the players' initial partial hands. A fifth card, called the 7^(th) Street card is dealt face-down to the player with the initial 4 cards but is not considered until later in the game. Two community cards are dealt, providing a total of seven cards from which each player forms a best 5-card poker hand. In a preferred form of the game, the player may use any of the 7 cards to make a best five card hand. In other forms of the game, the player may use only one community card. In yet other forms of the game, the player can only use the community cards if certain conditions are met, such as the player's hand composition being a pair of 5's or lower. In that case, the player would be permitted to use one or both community cards.

In yet other forms of the game, the 5^(th) and 6^(th) Street cards are dealt to each player rather than using community cards. The cards may be revealed one-at-a-time or multiple cards at a time to control the number of Play wagers that may be available in the game. For example, with four player cards, 2 community cards and one 7^(th) Street player card, there are three opportunities to make Play wagers.

The first opportunity occurs after the player reviews his/her four card hand. The second occurs after the 5^(th) Street card is revealed and the third occurs after the 6^(th) Street card is revealed.

The opportunity to make a Play wager can be varied according to the manner in which cards are revealed to the player. For example, the 7^(th) Street card could instead be dealt into the community hand, and more than one community card could then be revealed simultaneously. In other game formats, the dealer reveals the 5^(th) and 6^(th) Street cards in one step and the Play wager opportunity is reduced by one event.

Cards may be revealed one card at a time and two at a time in different stages. After the hand is complete (assuming that the player has placed all wagers necessary to remain in the game until conclusion of the disclosure of all community cards), all wagers are resolved. Preferably all Play wagers are resolved against one pay table. The Ante wager is paid at 1:1 if the player remains in the game until the revelation of the community cards is complete, and if the player attains at least a minimum hand rank (such as two pair or better). Alternatively, the Ante is paid at the pay table rate used to resolve the Play wager or according to another pay table.

An example of a Play wager pay table with four initial cards, and two community cards and one additional player card, revealed four-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time is as follows:

HAND Odds (Payout) Royal Flush 100 to 1 Straight Flush 20 to 1 4-of-a-Kind 7 to 1 Full House 4 to 1 Flush 3 to 1 Straight 2 to 1 3-of-a-Kind 3 to 2 2 Pair 1 to 1

Another example of a Play wager pay table, with four initial player cards, two community cards and one additional player card, revealed four-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time, then one-at-a-time is as follows:

HAND Odds (Payout) Royal Flush 100 to 1 Straight Flush 30 to 1 4-of-a-Kind 8 to 1 Full House 5 to 1 Flush 4 to 1 Straight 2 to 1 3-of-a-Kind 3 to 2 2 Pair 1 to 1

In addition to these pay tables, as noted before, the payout for the Play wager may be different than for the remaining wagers. In addition, there may be an automatic Ante bonus payout (1× or 2×) for any initial two pair (e.g., specific ranks of pairs or specific cards in the two pairs in the first four cards. For example, there could be an automatic bonus for two pairs each with ranks of 10's and above, all in the same color (e.g., 10 of Hearts, 10 of Diamonds, King of Hearts and King of Diamonds). There could be payouts (automatic or side bets) for specific ranks of the first four cards, or the best three-card poker hand from the first four cards. For example, there could be a bonus, based on the amount of the mandatory Blind bet for at least three-of-a-kind in the first four cards, or any other predefined specific rank. For example, there might be an automatic at least 4× Ante wager for specific hands. In a preferred form of the invention, the Blind wager pays 1:1 if the player holds a three-of-a-kind or better, and pushes if the player holds two pair but not three-of-a-kind.

The “pot” wager and game event will now be more specifically described. A “pot” is typically a collection of wagers made by each player to a game in which players play against other players. The pot of wagers builds until someone wins it.

Pot bets are typically characterized as a wager with no house advantage. All wagers are paid back to the players. The present pot bet may be seeded by the house, resulting in a slight player advantage, or may be funded solely by the players, resulting in no house advantage. The house might collect a rake or commission off of the pot bet, and may or may not seed the pot from this rake. In a preferred form of the game, the house provides a small seed amount, such as $5-$20, and preferably $5 paid out of the hold on the Ante, Blind and Play bets. In another embodiment, the house takes a rake of a fixed amount at the initial formation of a pot and uses it to seed the next pot, maintaining the “no house edge” feature of the wager.

Certain club or social-wagering card games require that a player remain in the game until an at least minimum ranked hand is achieved that wins the pot, as in “Jacks to Open, Trips to Win.” In that game, all wagers and calls are collected in a pot, and that pot is won only when a player has a hand rank of at least Three-of-a-Kind to win. So in a sense, every club or social-wagering poker game has a pot. Except at poker tables where each hand creates a pot, pot-type events are not common in casinos, even though they have an obvious attractive feature to players. That attractive feature is that the players see exactly how much revenue from the pot event goes to the casino. In club games where the house takes a rake, the players see the actual money taken from the table, while in typical games against the dealer, they only see hands won and lost.

In a preferred pot game, the players will see that all pot money wagered is taken by the player who wins. This means that the house gets none of the pot wager and all money on the pot wager stays with the players. This is a very attractive feature to players.

In the play of the present game, all pot wagers are collected (physically or electronically) into an identifiable pot. The pot may be funded to a minimum level by the house, with or without the funding being returned to the house (casino) by subsequent wagers. The reason for the seed funding of the pot is that with few players in the game, no player is likely to make a first pot wager as he is paying to play to win only his own money. There are various sets of rules that may be used with the pot game event. It might be mandatory for every player to make at least a single pot wager when sitting at the table to establish a pot, but this is a less preferred embodiment.

The dealer marks each participating pot player position with a marker. This marker identifies each participating player as a pot participant. Preferably only the players that make a pot bet in each round qualify to participate in the pot. If a pot bet is not wagered in a given round of play and the pot is not won, then the player who opted not to wager the pot bet loses the ability to participate until the pot is awarded and a new pot begins.

In other embodiments, players participate at-will in the pot wager.

Preferably all pot wagers are of equal value. In other examples of the invention, pot wagers may be made according to house minimum/maximum limits.

As old players leave the game, their pot entry wager remains. Unlike known pot games, the present pot game allows the pot to increase as players come and go.

When equal funding by all players is required, it avoids situations where (if there are continuing requirements for wagers on each hand) new players come into a game at an old player's position and do not have to make as large a contribution to a pot as others have made, yet have an equal chance to win the pot. It is therefore one method of playing the pot feature to make a wager mandatory to play the game.

Another method of play is for the players being required to make a first pot game wager of a fixed amount and charge subsequent players a higher amount when they enter the game. This gives original players a sense of protecting their initial wager against a newcomer to the game.

Another method of play is to have players make an initial pot wager (e.g., $5.00) and require a smaller wager (e.g., $1.00 or $2.00) to remain in the pot game for subsequent hands. This would keep the pot growing, although newcomers would have a slightly better economic advantage. In a preferred form of the game, the game is kept closed to newcomers after the first pot bet is established. It is possible for a player to drop out of the pot event in this case (without leaving the game) by failing to make a continuing payment. Rules may allow a player to either permanently drop out of the pot event or reenter the pot event by making another initial pot entry and then continuing with the maintenance or continuing payment. Other fees and charges that go directly into the pot may also be used to control eligibility and potential growth of the pot.

The following example will show the physical steps of an exemplary play of a game of the present invention.

A game played according to the following teachings herein is referred to as On the Draw™ Poker game with Cincy Pot™, which is a casino table card game that can also be played on a video system, a home computer, on a multiplayer platform gaming system, as a hand-held practice game, or as a game offered on the internet. The game is essentially a best 5 out of 7-Card stud poker game played against one or more pay tables, with specific rules and game play elements. There is no player versus dealer competition.

Example 1

There are four players at a gaming table. Each player places equal an initial Ante and Blind wager of $10, $10, $25, and $50, respectively, and the following initial four-card hands (plus a 7^(th) Street card) are dealt to each player, with their initial decisions on Play wagers shown beneath the hands. In example 1, the players may make first Play bets of exactly 3× the Ante, according to house rules or the player must check. The subsequent two community cards are dealt as community cards, one-at-a-time, face-down. There is a pot game event (requiring at least a flush to win the pot) available requiring $10.00 entry fee for each player to enter the pot. Each of the four players makes the Pot wager.

Player 1 $10 Ante, $10 Blind

Initial cards

, 9♦, 9♡, J♡

Player 2 $10 Ante, $10 Blind

Initial cards

,

,

, K♦

Player 3 $25 Ante, $25 Blind

Initial cards 3♦, 4♦, 6♡,

Player 4 $50 Ante, $50 Blind

Initial cards

, A♦, 10♦, 8♦

Player 1 makes the maximum wager (3× Ante), as his hand has significant chances to win on all wagers. Player 2 makes the maximum wager (3× Ante), as there is a good likelihood of the hand being improved to a straight (the player has three draws to an open-ended straight). Player 3 checks, as that player has a mediocre chance of winning against the pay table with only an inside draw to a straight. Player 4 has a decent working hand, with 2 aces and three cards in suit (looking for a possible flush). Player 4 chooses to make a Play wager that is 3× the Ante. In this embodiment of the invention, players are only permitted to make one Play wager.

After the Play wager is made, the player must remain in the game by “checking through” or checking at all subsequent wagering opportunities after the placement of the Play wager.

The first community card displayed is the

. Player 1 has already made a Play wager so he/she must check through. This card vastly improves Player 1's hand. Player 2 has already made a Play wager and checks. Player 3 was not helped by the first community card, but still has a chance for a win in the best 5 out of 7-Cards with an inside straight draw. Player 3 therefore checks. Player 4 has already made a Play wager and checks.

The second community card displayed is

. This card does not improve player 1's hand, and his/her only option is to check. Player 2 has a straight flush and makes a Play bet. Player 3 has not been aided by the second community card and folds. Player 4 now has two pairs but must check because he/she previously made a Play bet.

7th Street cards are revealed. Player 1 holds the following hand:

, 9♦, 9♡, J♡,

,

, 8♡

Player 1 holds a full house and is paid 4:1 on the Play wager $10×3×4 $120, $10 on the Ante and $10 on the Blind wager.

Play 2 holds the following hand:

,

,

,

,

,

,

The player holds a straight flush and is paid 20:1 on the Play wager or $10×3×20=$600. He wins $10 on the Ante and $10 on the Blind wagers.

Player 3 has folded.

Player 4 holds the following hand:

, A♦, 10♦, 8♦,

,

,

The player holds a full house and is paid 4:1 on the Play wager, or $50×3×4 or $600. He is paid $50 on the Ante and Blind wagers.

If a wild card were present in the deck, either as a potential community card or as an individual card, the pay tables would have to be significantly altered to accommodate the likelihood of more winning hands and higher winning hands.

As previously noted, the present games and rules may be played as a live casino table card game, as a hybrid casino table card game (with virtual cards or virtual chips), on a multiplayer platform (as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/764,827; 10/764,994; and 10/764,995, all filed on Jan. 26, 2004, which applications are incorporated herein by reference), on a personal computer for practice, on a hand-held game for practice or on a legally authorized site on the internet.

Although specific rules, steps, numbers of cards and the like have been presented at various points in this disclosure, those specific examples are not intended to limit the generic concepts disclosed and described herein. Those examples are not intended to be limiting, but supportive of the generic concepts disclosed and claimed. 

1. A method of playing a wagering game, the game comprising the steps of: providing a standard deck of playing cards; each participating player making a mandatory Ante wager and a mandatory Blind wager to participate in the game; a dealer dealing a plurality of at least three cards to each individual player; the dealer dealing at least one common card to a common card area on the table, wherein the at least one common card is dealt face-down; each player viewing at least a portion of the at least three cards and either checking or making a Play wager that is a first multiple of the Ante wager; the dealer revealing at least one common card; each player considering the at least one common card and the viewed at least three cards and either folding or making a Play wager that is a second multiple of the Ante wager, wherein the second multiple is smaller than the first multiple; the dealer or each player revealing an additional card, wherein the players make a best poker hand from all player cards, all common cards and the additional card; wherein the Play wager is resolved according to a first pay table; the Ante wager is resolved according to a second pay table; and the Blind wager is resolved according to a third pay table.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each player receives five cards, and views the first four cards before checking or making a Play wager.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dealer deals between two and three common cards to the common card area.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein a total of seven cards are considered in making a best five card poker hand.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the Ante and Blind wagers are equal.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein a minimum of three cards and a maximum of five cards are dealt to each player.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the Player is given multiple opportunities to make Play wagers or check elections, and wherein the Play wager may only be elected once in a round of play.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first multiple is between 2× and 5× and the second multiple is between 1× and 4×.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the Play wager is resolved according to the following pay table: HAND Odds (Payout) Royal Flush 100 to 1 Straight Flush 20 to 1 4-of-a-Kind 7 to 1 Full House 4 to 1 Flush 3 to 1 Straight 2 to 1 3-of-a-Kind 3 to 2 2 Pair 1 to 1


10. The method of claim 1, wherein the Ante wager pays 1:1 as long as the hand qualifies with a minimum hand ranking.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the minimum hand ranking is two pair or better.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the Blind wager pays 1:1 as long as the hand qualifies with a minimum hand raking.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the minimum hand raking is Three of a Kind or better.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the Blind wager pushes if the player has two pair or better, but less than Three of a Kind.
 15. The method of claim 1, and further comprising an optional pot bet.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the pot bet is progressive.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the player must qualify with a minimum hand ranking in order to qualify to win the pot, and hold the highest ranking hand of all participating players.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the minimum qualifying hand ranking is flush.
 19. A method of playing a wagering game, the game comprising the steps of: providing a standard deck of playing cards; each participating player making a mandatory Ante wager and a mandatory equal Blind wager to participate in the game; a dealer dealing five cards to each individual player, wherein the first four cards are considered by the player and the fifth card remains face-down on the table; the dealer dealing two common cards to a common card area on the table, wherein the common cards are dealt face-down; each player viewing the first four cards and either checking or making a Play wager that is a first multiple of the Ante wager; the dealer revealing a first common card; each player considering the first four cards and the first common card and either checking if the player previously made a Play wager or making a Play wager that is a second multiple of the Ante wager, wherein the second multiple is smaller than the first multiple; the dealer revealing a second common card; each player considering the first four cards and the two common cards and either folding, checking if the player previously made a Play wager or making a Play wager that is a third multiple of the Ante, wherein the third multiple is smaller than the second multiple; the dealer or each player revealing the fifth face-down card and considering all 7 cards to make a best 5 card poker hand; wherein the Play wager is resolved according to a first pay table; the Ante wager is resolved according to a second pay table; and the Blind wager is resolved according to a third pay table.
 20. A method of playing a casino card game, comprising: making a wager to participate in a game of chance; each player optionally making a wager to participate in a pot wager; a dealer providing cards to each player who made a wager in the game of chance; wherein the cards may be dealt to the player, dealt to a common area or a combination thereof; providing a visual indication of participation in the pot wager at a player position of all participating players; and wherein the pot is won by a player that holds a qualifying hand and holds a high hand in a round of play, wherein the pot grows in value between rounds of play, and wherein only players who wager on successive rounds as evidenced by the visual indication qualify to win the pot.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the visual indication is a marker.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the marker is a lamer.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the pot wager is a fixed amount wager.
 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the qualifying hand is a flush or better.
 25. The method of claim 20, wherein a house provides seed money to the pot.
 26. The method of claim 20, wherein the pot wager has no house advantage.
 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the house takes a rake from the pot wagers.
 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the house takes a rake and then uses at least a portion of the rake to seed the pot. 